The Top SEO Trends You Need to Know for 2023

You know your business needs a robust online presence to succeed, but have you checked your website’s search ranks lately? SEO is constantly evolving, and to stay on top of your targeted results pages, you will need to keep up with the latest trends. To help you figure out which SEO activities to prioritize this year, we have created a list of 12 critical trends for SEO in Mississauga in 2023.

12 SEO Trends Every Business Should Know

1. Keyword Research is Still Important

Keyword research is the process of identifying words and phrases that your audience is most likely to search for on search engines like Google. The practice has been around since the internet was invented, but it has undergone some significant changes in recent years. Keywords that used to be easy to rank for are now cluttered with heavy competition.

This year, you will need to revamp your keyword research strategy. Look to your higher-ranking competitors to see which keywords they are using, then try to fill any content gaps you discover. There are many tools available to help you identify keywords with low competition and high search volume. Find some likely candidates, then add those keywords your older content to give it new life.

2. Using Semantically Related Keywords

Semantically related keywords are keywords which relate to user intent. They have become increasingly important in recent years as search engine algorithms have evolved to better match users’ needs. In 2023, you will want to use keywords that target three key user intents:

• Informational: when a user wants to find the answer to a specific question or more information about a particular topic
• Commercial: when a user is interested in buying a product but needs more details to make up their mind
• Transactional: when a user is interested in making an immediate purchase

Choose one of these three to apply to a topic, then brainstorm a few topic clusters that expand on that subject in relevant ways. Use those keyword lists to reach your leads at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

3. More Emphasis on Local Searches

Local search is incredibly important in today’s SEO climate, and it is set to become even more of a dominating force in 2023. Optimizing your Google My Business profile is the best thing you can to help your business prosper in this environment. Doing so gives you the best chances of appearing in the coveted Map Pack, gaining countless new leads in the process.

Do not forget to include locally-relevant keywords and links from local businesses, organizations, and publications on your website, too. These older local SEO techniques still offer significant boosts. An SEO company in Toronto can help you with these things if you are having trouble.

4. The Rise of Voice Searches

Seemingly overnight, voice search has become one of the most popular ways to search on both mobile and smart home devices. To show up on these searches, you will need to phrase your keywords in a more conversational manner than you normally would. You can also capitalize on this 2023 trend by adding new sections to your website. FAQs sections are great for hitting keywords that are phrased as questions and are often included in Google’s featured snippet results.

5. Optimizing Images for SEO

Images are critical to maintaining a user’s interest during their browsing session on your website, but adding too many with large file sizes can cause significant performance issues. Compress your images before uploading them to your website to save on bandwidth and use PNG formats whenever you can. Reserve GIFs for animated images only and use those sparingly. You can also use keywords in your image filenames and alt text to give your images more SEO value.

6. Video Marketing is Here to Stay

Between Vimeo, YouTube, and TikTok, video marketing has never been more popular. Videos rank well and generate a high number of conversions, making them an extremely attractive investment despite their higher production cost. In 2023, explore what video marketing can do for your small business.

You can use a wide range of formats to do this, including product demonstrations, interviews, tutorials, and Vlogs. It is best to hire an SEO company in Toronto to create these videos for you. They will have the equipment and software needed to make them look professional. Remember to use clip markups to let Google know which time stamps to give users searching for particular keywords or phrases.

7. The Integration of Marketing AI

Marketing AI has taken the digital marketing world by storm, allowing small teams to work much more quickly and produce up-to-the-minute marketing content while it is still relevant. Some common forms of marketing AI that are expected to see greater use in 2023 include chatbots, data analysis tools, and idea generation tools. These implements cannot do all of your marketing work for you, but they can significantly enhance the success of your campaigns when working on SEO in Hamilton, Mississauga, or anywhere else in the GTA.

8. Optimizing for Online Shopping

Online shopping is booming, so it makes sense to adjust your marketing strategies to match this trend. If you do not have an e-commerce store already, consider creating one. If you do have one, you will want to make sure your digital store is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and has detailed product descriptions full of keywords to help users find what they are looking for. Your store should also have plenty of pictures with optimized alt text to boost your general SEO and help your products appear on Google’s new image-based shopping searches.

9. Featured Snippets are Everywhere

Featured snippets are the short blocks of text that appear above the first results on most search engine results pages. They can be tables, bullet lists, or plain text – whatever Google’s algorithm believes best matches the user’s search intent.

Featured snippets are ranked separately from pages, giving you additional opportunities to score one of those top spots. To target them, use keyword tools and Google’s “People Also Asked” section to discover content gaps, then create detailed long-form content to fill those gaps.

10. Optimizing for Mobile Friendly Websites

Mobile browsing has recently become the most popular way to surf the web, and marketers are taking notice. Mobile optimization will be a key element of SEO in 2023. To get your website ready, consider having it redesigned by an SEO agency in Toronto with responsive design elements that will accommodate any device. Custom code will also help your site load as quickly as possible instead of getting bogged down in plug-ins.  Perform regular tests on mobile devices to ensure that your site’s performance is up to modern standards.

11. Know Your Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics Google uses to evaluate your website’s performance. They are:

• Largest Contentful Paint: the loading speed of the largest piece of content the user can see from the top of the page
• First Input Delay: the time it takes for your website to respond to a user’s first inputs
• Cumulative Layout Shift: the amount of shifting your website’s layout does as different elements load in

In 2023, take the time to become familiar with Core Web Vitals and how your website performs. Test it regularly using Google’s designated tool to see how well you are doing and if any changes need to be implemented.

12. Tracking Your EAT Signals

EAT stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, three of Google’s most prized ranking factors. They help Google measure your website’s credibility and are always prioritized in algorithm updates.

Content with good EAT signals is written by a trustworthy expert, is helpful to the user, and is regularly updated. You can build your EAT scores by including an About Us page on your website, responding to customer reviews, and obtaining backlinks from other high-authority sources.

For the Best SEO in Toronto, Contact WSI Comandix

SEO is a never-ending process, and many businesses do not have the resources to handle it in-house. If you need help updating your SEO strategies for 2023, contact WSI Comandix. We offer affordable SEO in Toronto for businesses of all sizes. Get in touch with us today to book your free consultation and learn more about how our services will benefit your bottom line.